Ultimate Titans Challenge
by razgriz108
Summary: Control Freak is back and wants to see if the Titans West are 'real Titans' like the Titans East are. Sequel to 'Lost and Found.' crazy episode, like 'Mad Mod' or 'Episode 257-494' BBxRae, RobxStar Warning, BB and Rae are OOC, couldn't be helped.
1. Dramatis Personae

_**TEEN TITANS**_

_Ultimate Titans Challenge_

_**Dramatis Personae**_

**The Titans**

Garfield Logan, _Beast Boy_, human male, from San Francisco

Koriand'r, _Starfire_, Tamaranian female, from Tamaran

Rachel Roth, _Raven_, Azarathian female, from Azarath

Richard Grayson, _Robin_, human male, from Gotham City

Victor Stone, _Cyborg_, human male, from Jump City

**Villains**

Control Freak, human male, from Jump City

_Teen Titans_ belongs to DC Comics, Warner Brothers, Cartoon Network, Glen Murakami, Marv Wolfman, and George Perez


	2. Part 1

_So hungry,_ thought Cyborg. _I haven't eaten since breakfast!_ Granted, breakfast was only four hours ago, but that didn't matter to him. "Time for LUNCH!" The robotic Titan walked into the Ops room. "First, I'll have the spare ribs, then the turkey, cause it's TURKEY DAY! Then I'll…"

Cyborg saw Robin and Star sitting at the table; already well into their pre-lunch make-out session. Cyborg couldn't resist himself, so he said, "A-hem!" The couple was unfazed and continued making out. "Aw, come on!" Cy shouted. "It's lunch time! Why don't you go get a room!" Not breaking from Star, the Boy Wonder lifted his free hand and gave his fellow Titan the middle-fingered salute.

"OH, YOU ASKED FOR IT BIRD-BOY!" Cy shouted. He was about to kick that sorry excuse for a hero's butt, when his stomach growled. "YOU'RE LUCKY THAT I'M TOO HUNGRY TO KICK YOUR BUTT! YOU HEAR THAT, HAIR GEL?" Robin merely flipped Cy off again. Peeved, Cy opened the fridge, and was immediately back to his normal, cheery self. "Hello there, ribs! Nothing personal, but I'm gonna eat you!"

He pulled out the ribs, and drowned them in BBQ sauce. He put them on the grill, because he believed that the microwave "kills the flavor." He was whistling happily, when he heard someone giggle softly. He thought it was nothing, but then he heard two voices talking quietly. He looked up at the couch and saw Raven and Beast Boy talking to each other. He looked closer, and noticed that the tube wasn't on, BB wasn't playing on the Gamestation, and Raven wasn't reading a book.

Something about that scene struck the bionic Titan as odd, and he devoted the small remaining portion of his brain that wasn't preoccupied with salivating over the ribs to try and process this oddity. _Hmm,_ he thought, _BB, talking with Raven, Raven actually listening, BB not flying through the window, or being sent to another dimension… THAT'S NOT RIGHT!_

The rest of his brain woke up from its rib-induced hypnosis. He ran to Robin and asked, "How long have BB and Raven been talking?" Robin reluctantly broke away from Star's lips. He gave Cy a look that said, _This had better be good, Tin Man! _ Cy pointed to the couch. "Yeah, so?" Robin said. "They're just talking." He tried to pull Star into another kiss, but Cy stopped him. "Since when have BB and Raven just talked, and how long have they been there?"

Robin glared. "They were there when Star and I came in, about three hours ago. Now if you'll excuse me…" Robin turned back towards his girlfriend. "THREE HOURS!!!" Cy shouted. "RAVEN AND BB TALKING FOR THREE HOURS, AND SHE HASN'T BEATEN HIM TO A PULP??! NOTHING MAKES SENSE ANYMORE!!!" But Cy's outcry fell on deaf ears. Robin had already fallen under the spell of the Tamaranian's kiss, and BB and Raven weren't paying attention.

Before he could bring Robin back to his senses, the grill's timer dinged. "Oop!" he said. "Time to flip the ribs!" With that, the robotic teen hurried back to his beloved and resumed cooking.

**

"… back then, I could only transform into small animals, nothing bigger than myself," Beast Boy said. "So Mento had me train with Rita to help me transform into a larger animal. She said, 'Okay, Garfield, let's try gorilla.' I was so excited, I wanted to show everyone I could do it. 'Okay, Rita!' I said. I concentrated as hard as I could on the gorilla. But I couldn't feel anything happening.

"'Come on Garfield,' Rita said, 'I know you can do it! Concentrate!' 'I am!' I told her. I focused so hard, I got a headache. Then, I felt something. I opened my eyes and asked, 'Did I do it? Am I a gorilla?' Rita didn't say anything, but covered her mouth. Then Cliff walked in. 'Hey kid!,' he said. 'Get a haircut!' Then he cracked up.

"I looked at Rita, she was holding up a mirror. In it, I saw that I was still in human form, but I was covered in gorilla hair. I was so shocked that I morphed into a turtle and hid." Raven giggled softly. "You know," she said, "you're actually pretty funny when you're just being yourself." BB smiled. "Thanks, Raven."

"So," the empath asked, "how come you never told the others about your days in the Doom Patrol? Why only me?" BB grew thoughtful, and looked into her beautiful amethyst eyes. "I guess I never told the rest of the Titans because all they'd want to hear about would be the Doom Patrol's exploits." He grabbed her hand. "But you, Raven, I told you because I knew you'd want to hear about me."

Raven was touched. She had never known that Beast Boy had a deep, thoughtful side to him. _I wish he'd show it to me more often,_ she thought. She looked at him and placed her other hand on his arm. "Beast Boy," she began. "Please, Raven, call me Garfield." Raven giggled again. BB looked hurt. "What's so funny?" he asked. Raven tried to control herself. "I'm sorry," she said. "But you just don't look like a 'Garfield.'" A sly grin spread over his face. "Oh yeah?" he asked. Then, he morphed into a cat. Mew Raven giggled again. "Well, I guess you look like a Garfield now!"

**

The ribs were almost done. "Ooh!" Cy said, "that smell's heavenly!" Then, he heard Raven giggle. _What?_ he thought. _Raven? Laughing at something BB said? Something's definitely wrong here!_ He raced back to Robin, when Star broke away and glared at him. Her eyes glowed green, and her teeth were suddenly much sharper than the robot teen remembered them being. She started drooling acid, and Cyborg said, "I'll leave you two alone, huh?" He raced back to the kitchen. But, he needed to find out what was up with Raven and BB, so he ejected his forearm spy drone, and sent it crawling behind the couch to eavesdrop on the two.

"… What's so funny?" he heard BB say. "I'm sorry, but you just don't look like a Garfield." "Oh yeah?" Cy risked it, and carefully drove the drone to where it could see the two Titans were sitting. BB had transformed into a cat. Raven looked down at him, and giggled again. "Well," she said, "Now you look like a Garfield."

BB walked over to her leg and batted it with his paw. Raven blushed slightly, and shook her head. BB looked up at her, giving her the 'Face.' Raven's resolve melted away. "Alright, 'Garfield,' hop on." BB crawled onto her lap and slinked his body along her abdomen, purring loudly. "But if I feel any claws," she growled, "I'll send you to another dimension!" _Phew!_ Cy thought, _she threatened him. _ He recalled his drone and looked at the ribs. "I'm sorry ribs, but I have to eat you now."

**

"But if I feel any claws, I'll send you to another dimension!" BB didn't act like he heard, but made sure not to extend his claws at all. Raven couldn't help but feel all warm and fuzzy inside. _He's so cute_, she thought. She reached down and began scratching behind his ears. BB liked that, and purred even more. _That feels so good!_ he thought. _Now, if she would just scratch under my chin-_ As if she read his mind (which she did) he felt her hands reaching under his head and begin scratching his chin.

BB closed his eyes, purring more than ever. He curled up in her lap and drifted off. Raven saw that the green cat was asleep, but he looked so comfortable, she didn't have the heart to wake him. That, and she loved feeling the low rumble he sent through her stomach as he purred. She continued to stroke him, and scratch his head. Soon, she was adrift, lost in her own thoughts.

***

The fat guy in the trench coat looked across the bay. "At long last," he said, "I'm back." He pointed at the T-shaped tower sticking up out of the bay. "And now, the Teen Titans will pay!" Then, he vanished into thin air.

Teen Titans Animated belongs to Glen Murakami, Sam Register, DC Comics, and Cartoon Network  
Teen Titans created by Marv Wolfman and George Pérez


	3. Part 2

The man re-appeared in the Titans' Ops room. "GREETINGS TITANS!" he bellowed. "It is I, you're Archnemesis, CONTROL FREAK!" He looked around and saw four of the titans, but none of them even gave him a second look. "HELLO!" he shouted. "CONTROL FREAK IS HERE!" The titans ignored him. _What gives?_ he asked himself. _They don't even know I'm here! Don't I at least warrant an Intruder Alert?_

He decided to see if he could get one of the Titan's attention. He snuck up behind Robin and Starfire, still making out. "GREETINGS, TITANS-" Robin cut him off by sticking up his free hand and waving him off. "Did-did you just give me the 'Move Along' sign?" Control Freak asked indignantly. Robin gave him a thumbs up, then waved him off again.

Pissed, Control Freak went to Cyborg. "GREETINGS, CYBORG! IT IS I-" "Nagh nowgh," the bionic titan said over a mouthful of ribs. "Mush eagh!" Really pissed now, Control Freak stomped over to Raven. "GREETINGS-AACK!" He looked down and saw a tendril of dark energy pinch his trachea closed, enough to prevent him from talking, but open enough so he could still breathe.

"Be quiet," a monotone voice said, "you'll wake him." Control Freak was confused. Then he saw her gesture at the cat that was sleeping happily on her lap. Raven released the villain wannabe, and resumed stroking the cat's head. He leaned in a little closer to get a better look at it. "I didn't know you guys got a cat!" he said. Raven rolled her eyes, then returned her attention to the purring ball of fur on her lap. Then, Control Freak noticed what color the cat was. "Hey," he said. "is that cat green?" Raven nodded and gave him the _Duh!_ look.

"So, that's Beast Boy?" Again, Raven rolled her eyes. "So you're not completely stupid," she muttered. Excitement bubbled up within the fan boy. "I KNEW IT! I KNEW IT!" he yelled. Raven's eyes narrowed. "Knew what?" she hissed. "I knew you two would end up like Robin and Star over there!" To help demonstrate his point, he pointed at the two titans that were currently slobbering over each other so much, they were starting to slip on the table.

Raven looked at the fat nerd. "Beast Boy and I aren't that close!" she shot back. "Just wait 'til my chat room buddies hear about this!" Control Freak exclaimed. Raven flicked her wrist, and a black talon appeared and pinned the fan boy to the wall. "You're not telling anyone!" she hissed, tightening her grip. "Oh yeah, watch this!" he said. He drew a deep breath, then shouted, "GUESS WHAT! BEAST BOY'S SLEEPING WITH RAVEN!"

That did the trick. Cyborg dropped his ribs on the floor and his mouth gaped open, causing its former contents of chewed up meat to join the ribs. Robin and Star broke away form each other and stared, mouths opened wide in awe. Raven could feel the other's eyes on her back. With her powers, she raised her hood and flushed a bright red. She looked down and saw that BB was still sound asleep, purring like mad. _At least he didn't hear that!_ she thought.

She looked back at her captive. Her eyes began to glow red, and she said, "Now, I've had it!" She swung her hand back, then she thrust it forward. The talon matched her every move, and sent the screaming fan boy flying through the window.

**

Cyborg blinked, then thought, _Well, I knew she'd throw _someone_ out the window. _ Robin and Star continued to stare at her. Raven couldn't take it any more. "What?" she demanded. Robin was the first to come out of shock. "Are y-you two really…" "NO, WE ARE NOT!" Raven yelled. "Then, friend Raven," Star asked, "Why did the Freak of Control say that you were?"

Raven sighed. "Come over here and find out," she said. The three titans went to the front of Ops and found Raven sitting on the couch with BB in her lap. "AAWW!" Star cooed. "That's so CUTE!" Star was bouncing up and down at the sight. "Ya know, Raven," Cy said, "the little grass stain seems to like you." "No kidding," Robin added. "I can hear him purring from here."

Raven blushed a little. "Well," she said, "he's a lot less annoying as a cat." BB lifted his head as she scratched his chin. "Well, its good to see you two getting along," Robin said. "Yeah, I don't think the Tower can take much more of your fights!" Cy added. Raven was about to say something, when Control Freak re-appeared in front of them.

* *

"HA-HA!" he laughed. "GREETINGS, TITANS! It is I, you're number one arch foe, CONTROL FREAK!!!" The Titans groaned. "What do you want now?" Robin asked him. "Why Robin," the übernerd said. "I thought it was obvious!" He hit his remote, and a slide show appeared on the main display.

"About four months or so ago, I, CONTROL FREAK, infiltrated your Tower so that I could defeat you. I had created five very specific weapons to defeat each and every one of you, based on each of your weaknesses." He began to pace the room, with the slides showing how he built the weapons. "But, when I arrived, you weren't there. Instead, Titans East showed up."

The slide advanced, showing Control Freak rooting around the Tower, one showed him eating a drumstick. "IT WAS YOU!" Cyborg shouted. "YOU'RE THE WISE-GUY WHO ATE MY TURKEY! I WAS SAVING THAT FOR TURKEY DAY!!!" "Yipes!" Control Freak said, as Cyborg's metal fist connected with his left eye. He hit a button, and the titan was forced back on the couch. "I'M NOT FINISHED YET!" CF shouted.

"Now, where was I? Oh, yes. Titans East showed up instead of you. I could not defeat them because my weapons didn't work on them. So, I, CONTROL FREAK, carefully designed separate challenges for each of them to test their unique abilities." He advanced to the slide, showing Más y Menos flashing back and forth across Jump City before speeding up the large bomb CF had put in the middle of the street.

"They completed the challenges, and proved themselves to be real Titans." The slide showed a straitjacketed and muzzled Control Freak, with a Titans East flag stuck between his arms. "But you five," PURRRPURRR "WAKE UP!!!!!!" BB woke up instantly and morphed back to human. He landed on Raven's lap and yelled "I'M UP! I'M UP!" Everyone, save Raven, cracked up hysterically. BB saw Raven's glare and got off of her as quickly as he could, not wanting to be sent flying through the window again.

CF had managed to calm himself down. "As I was saying, Titans," he continued, "you five have not yet faced the challenges like Titans East, therefore, how can you call yourselves Titans?" "Oh, it's on now, Tubby!" Cy yelled, his hand already forming into his sonic cannon. "Them's fighting words!"

He aimed and fired, but nothing happened. "What the?" he asked. He brought up his arm to look down the barrel. Then, CF hit his remote again, and the cannon fired straight into Cy's face. "HA-HA-HA!" "What do you want, Control Freak?" Robin demanded. "Simple, Titans," CF said. "I have come up with five dangerous challenges, one for each of you." He advanced the slide. "I have placed a bomb deep within the city's water system. It is set to detonate in 24 hours. It cannot be disarmed, Titans, so don't even try! However, if you meet me at the Arena, I will give you the challenges. After passing them, you need to hit a button at the end. It will then glow a certain color, red for Robin, orange for Starfire, green for Beast Boy, blue for Cyborg, and purple for Rae-Rae."

Raven fumed. She sent the fan boy a jolt of dark energy. "OW!" "My name is Raven," she said, "NOT RAE-RAE!" CF continued as if nothing had happened. "If you manage to light up all of the buttons, then the bomb will disarm itself, and then it will disintegrate." The slide showed chibi figures of the Titans hitting all of the buttons. Then, it showed the bomb's clock stopping and then falling apart. The chibi Titans cheered.

"But, if in the next twenty-four hours, you fail to hit all of the buttons, well," he said, pointing to the slide. The chibi Titans were back, but this time, chibi BB tripped and fell, not hitting the button. The super-deformed bomb reached zero, and a mushroom cloud enveloped the city. A chibi Control Freak popped out and beamed, giving two thumbs up. "FAREWELL, TITANS!" he said, turning off the slide show. "I'LL BE WAITING AT THE ARENA, IF YOU 'TITANS' AREN'T CHICKEN!"

"Dude!" BB said. "Why can't you be like normal fan boys and write fan-fics, or something!" Control Freak laughed maniacally, and then, with the press of the button, he vanished. The titans looked at Robin. "So now what?" Raven asked, deadpan. "We have no choice," said Robin. "We have to complete those challenges, it's the only way to save the city." "Then we'd better get going," Cyborg said. "We've only got one day, and I'll bet we're gonna need every minute of it."

Teen Titans Animated belongs to Glen Murakami, Sam Register, DC Comics, and Cartoon Network  
Teen Titans created by Marv Wolfman and George Pérez


	4. Part 3

Control Freak had just finished installing the bomb and hooked it up to the firing mechanism in the arena. "Now all I have to do is wait for the Titans to show up," he told himself. "That is, if they're not too chicken! OOH!" CF found a switch he hadn't seen before on his rounds in the stadium. "What does this do?" He flipped the switch. The floor beneath his feet shook, and began to drop.

CF rode the platform to the network of corridors and locker rooms below the arena. Curious, he poked his head into the different rooms, until he found something. "OHMYGOD!" he screamed. "IT'SA100INCHHIDEFINITONPLASMASCREENTVCOMPLETEWITHTHELATESTGAMESTATIONXL!" Control Freak jumped onto the couch, and fawned over his discovery. "It's…so…beautiful!" he said, and he began stroking the TV lovingly. Then, in the coffee table, he found something else. "HOLYCRAPIT'SMEGAMONKEYSSIX!!!!!!" He opened the game and plugged it into the Gamestation. As the game appeared on the screen, Control Freak became completely absorbed into a state of absolute ecstasy.

***

"So, where is this arena we're supposed to kick that couch potato's butt in?" BB asked. "The Municipal Arena," Robin said. The Titans, save for Robin, were piled into the T-Car. Robin was on his new R-Cycle. "Wait," Star said. "Do you mean the arena where friend Cyborg open the can of butt whoop upon the Atlas?" "That's the one," Robin said. "You think that robotic egomaniac is one of Control Freak's challenges?" Raven asked. "It doesn't matter," Cy hissed. "I kicked his butt once, I'll do it again!" "Cyborg's right," Robin agreed. "It doesn't matter what his challenges are, we have to beat them all. We have no choice." Robin gunned the throttle and sped into the night. Cy floored the gas and the T-Car surged after the R-Cycle, desperate to get there as fast as possible.

***

The Titans arrived at the stadium and walked in. "Anybody know where we're supposed to go?" Cyborg asked. "No," Robin said. "Titans, fan out!" The titans split up and began searching the arena. After looking for about fifteen minutes, they regrouped in the center of the arena. "Report." "We've searched the whole building, and we didn't find a thing," Raven said.

"ARGH!" Robin shouted as he pounded his fist into a wall in frustration. "Where is he?" Beast Boy was distracted by a shiny red switch. He walked over to it. "Hey guys!" he shouted. The others walked over to him. "I wonder what this switch does?" BB asked. "I know what you're thinking, grass stain!" Cy warned. "Don't touch it!"

BB ignored him. He flipped it and the floor dropped from underneath the Titans' feet. "BEAST BOY!" Cy yelled, as the Titans fell to the floor below. They crash landed in a dog pile. Raven stuck her head out from under the pile and glared at the changeling. "And the monkey flips the switch," she said sarcastically. "He-he," BB said, "it's a trapdoor."

"I remember where we are!" Starfire shouted. "We are in the secret lair that the Atlas had taken us to after he made us his trophies!" Raven eyed the excited Tamaranian. "And you're excited about this, why?" Robin answered for her. "Because now we know where to find Control Freak!" He started down the hallway, with the others in hot pursuit.

***

Cyborg kicked down the door leading to Atlas's former game room. "CONTROL FREAK!" Robin shouted. But the mega-nerd didn't respond. "DUDE!!!" A green blur flashed past the Titans and resolved itself into BB over by the couch. "Is-Is…that, Gulp" BB stuttered. "Is that Mega Monkeys Six?" Control Freak nodded. "Yeah," he said. "And, I hooked it up to this 100 in, ultra hi-definition, flat screen, plasma TV!" BB's eyes glazed over in awe. "It's too beautiful for words!" the changeling fawned.

Suddenly, the TV screen went black. "HEY!" Control Freak shouted. "WHO THE HELL-" He stopped short when he saw Raven levitating the power cord beside her. "WELCOME, TITANS!" he said, switching gears. "I see you decided to show up. I was beginning to wonder if you were going to come at all." "Cut the crap, Control Freak!" Robin shouted, deadly serious. "Just give us the challenges so we can give you a nice 6 by 9 foot padded cell!" "Now, now, Robin," CF said. "Before you can give me a cell, you have to beat my challenges first, which will be impossible!"

Robin began fuming. "I don't have time for this!" He drew his quarterstaff and charged the fan boy. "Thank you for volunteering, BOY BLUNDER!" he said, hitting his remote. Robin vanished, and the rest of the Titans were teleported to the stadium. Robin re-appeared in the center of the arena. On the jumbo-screen, Control Freak's face faded into existence.

"WELCOME TO THE SECOND ULTIMATE TITANS CHALLENGE!" he announced. "About six months ago, you all saw how the Titans East defeated their challenges in the ULTIMATE TITANS CHALLENGE and became Ultimate Titans. Now, can the one and only Teen Titans prove themselves to be Ultimate Titans? Or will they be Ultimate LOSERS on NATIONAL TELEVISION! HAHAHAHA!" Over the arena, a giant dome rose out from under the ground. It encircled and covered the arena. The view on the screen shifted to show Robin standing inside the dome.

"First up, Robin! Robin is the leader of the Teen Titans and is a bright and determined kid. He has no powers of his own, but with his vast array of weapons and gadgets stored in his utility belt, Robin is anything but a pushover!" BB looked confused. "Um, why is the bad guy complimenting us?" Raven rolled her eyes. "Because, he worships the ground which we stand on." "But, if he likes us, why is he trying to kill us?" "I don't know," the empath said. "He's crazy, I guess."

CF's image spoke again. "For his challenge, Robin must navigate across the rooftops, without touching the ground. Along the way, he'll have to face wave upon wave of Confederate Stormtroopers, and will have to defeat the master of evil, Baron Rang!" "No problem," Robin said. He started to reach for his grappling hook, when his utility belt disappeared! "Ah-ah-ah, Robin! No toys!" "Looks like I'll have to do this the hard way," Robin said, gritting his teeth.

"GO!" Robin raced forward. Looking frantically for anything he could use, he spied a clothesline. He jumped to it and untied it. He picked up a bent piece of rebar and tied it to the end of the line. He twirled it over his head and threw it across the gap between him and the next building. The hook landed with a clang and Robin gave the line a tug. His hook found purchase on the other building, and Robin jumped. He landed on the wall of the next building and climbed up the line. When he reached the top, he wound up the line and hooked onto his belt loop. "You may have been able to jump across the buildings, Robin," CF shouted, "but you'll never get past my Stormtroopers!" Robin looked forward and saw at least a hundred stormies charging his position.

**

"ROBIN!" Starfire cried. She turned away, unable to watch her boyfriend be ripped apart by the stormies. "Uh, Star?" BB said. "I think you should take a look at this." "I cannot watch," she replied. "I think you should," Cy said, and he turned her around. Dreading what she might see, she opened her eyes and was surprised. Robin wasn't getting his butt kicked, but was actually defeating the troopers one after the other. "Robin!" she said, and began cheering him on with the rest of her friends.

**

Robin had grabbed a nearby pole and kicked it free of its mount and was now using it as a makeshift quarterstaff. One by one, the stormtroopers fell to Robin's staff. Some of them fired at the Boy Wonder, only to see their shot burn into their teammates after Robin had leapt out of the way. But, Robin was beginning to tire, and he still had about sixty more stormies to go. "What do we have here?" he asked. He knelt down by the body of a fallen trooper and picked up what had caught his eye.

**

BB saw what Robin had picked up. "DUDES!" he yelled. "He's got a thermal annihilator!" The other three looked at the changeling. "A thermal what now?" Raven asked. "A thermal annihilator!" BB said. "Every Confederate Stormtrooper carries one," he explained. When he saw the still-blank looks on his teammates' faces, he smacked his head and sighed. "It's a grenade on steroids." The others got that and immediately returned their attention to the arena.

**

Robin plucked the annihilator off of the fallen trooper's belt and pressed the button. "Sorry," he said, "but I don't have time to deal with you." Then, he hurled the annihilator into the charging mass of stormies. Robin crouched and shielded himself with his cape. A few seconds later, the annihilator exploded, and the stormies flew off of the building to their doom.

**

"BOOYAH!" Cyborg shouted. "Dude!" agreed BB. Raven and Starfire merely stared in awe at the brilliant display of destruction. When she regained the ability to speak, all Raven said was, "Whoa."

**

Robin stood up and wore a smug grin on his face. "WHAT? HOW DID YOU?" Control Freak stammered. He regained his composure (mostly) and yelled, "WELL JUST BECAUSE YOU MANAGED TO DEFEAT MY STORMTROOPER HOARDE, YOU STILL HAVE TO FACE BARON RANG! AND HE WILL ANNIHILATE YOU, BIRD BOY!"

Robin shook his head and charged toward the next building. He unfurled his jury-rigged grappling hook and launched it at an overhanging pole. The hook latched on and Robin swung across and leaped onto the final building. He saw the button that would end the challenge, but Baron Rang stood in his way. "Give yourself to the Dark Side!" Rang said, and ignited his double bladed laser sword.

Robin knew that only another energy weapon could parry the blades, but he couldn't find any. Rang charged and swung at him. Robin leaped over Rang's head and stole his laser dagger. The Boy Wonder lit it and parried Rang's overhead slice. Rang kept up his attack, but Robin deflected each and every blow, waiting for his chance to counter. "The Force is strong with you, young one," Rang said, "but your power is nothing compared to the Dark Side of the Force!"

"I have no idea what you just said…" Robin shot back. He saw Rang shift his center of gravity a little too far and saw his chance. As Rang thrust, Robin deftly sidestepped and kicked the dark baron in the gut, knocking him flat on his back. "…but I do know that you're going down!" With that, Robin buried the dagger into Rang's mechanical chest. Sparks erupted from the gash, and Rang's suit powered down.

Robin withdrew the dagger and extinguished it. He tossed it aside and hit the button. The cityscape around him vanished and he found himself once more in the arena. Control Freak couldn't believe it. "I'm waiting," Robin said. "Robin has completed his challenge," CF said, and the first light glowed red. "But, there's still four more challenges left, and you only have twelve hours to complete them!"

"Get on with it," Raven said. "Fine!" Control Freak activated the randomizer to select the next Titan. Robin rejoined his team and immediately felt the air squeezed out of his lungs. "Oh Robin! I am so happy you are undamaged!" "Thanks gasp Star," he panted. "Can't gasp breathe!" Starfire released her lover and Robin fell to his knees, gasping for air. "Alright Robin!" Cy said, but when he went to give Robin a high-five, he vanished.

Teen Titans Animated belongs to Glen Murakami, Sam Register, DC Comics, and Cartoon Network  
Teen Titans created by Marv Wolfman and George Pérez


	5. Part 4

Cyborg reappeared in the arena as the holodome was closing again. Over the loudspeakers, Control Freak gave the introduction. "Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to introduce our next contestant! The Titans' second-in-command, the bio-mechanical crime fighter whose technological skill is matched only by his strength, CYBORG!"

_Ya know,_ Cy thought, _for_ _a bad guy, he really does give a nice intro. _ Control Freak continued. "For his challenge, Cyborg must navigate through a maze of electromagnets and ion disruptors, all while fighting off a computer virus!" "Say WHAT?" the halfa shouted. "If he manages to survive the labyrinth and the virus, he must confront and defeat the Creature from Jones Lake! HA-HA-HA!" "YOU'RE GONNA INFECT ME WITH WHAT?" Cy exclaimed.

Without warning, a syringe full of corrupted data plunged into the tin man's can. "What the?" he asked. Then, his left hand sprouted rockets and shot away into the maze. "OH HELL NO!" Cyborg said. "YOU DID NOT JUST DO WHAT I THINK YOU JUST DID!" Then, his left leg fell off at the knee. "OH, IT'S ON NOW, FREAK!"

Control Freak rolled in laughter at the tin man's expense. "Okay, whoo, I'm done now," he panted. "Is the contestant ready?" Cyborg shook his leg in the air and shouted, "DOES IT LOOK LIKE I'M READY?" After suffering for another five minutes of hysterical laughter from Control Freak, Cyborg had managed to re-connect his leg. "YO!" he said. "LET'S GO BEFORE SOMETHING ELSE FALLS OFF!" Just then, his shoulder missiles launched. "Okay, okay! Sheesh! I'm just trying to have a little fun. GO!"

Cyborg raced into the maze, dodging the ion disruptors' fire as he went. He saw the first magnet overhead. He stopped just outside the magnetic field and raised his right arm. "Physics lesson 101," he said, activating his sonic cannon. "No magnet, no magnetic field, no worries." He fired, but instead of the sonic blast destroying the magnet like he hoped for, a small pole shot out. From the pole, a 'BANG!' flag unfurled. "WHY YOU SORRY LITTLE SON OF A-" "Now, now, Cyborg," Control Freak mocked. "We are live on national television." Then, the virus gained control of Cy's motor functions. Suddenly, he shot forward and was snatched by the magnet. "WHEN I GET OUT OF THIS THING, I'M GONNA THROTTLE YOU! YA HEAR ME, FREAK OF NATURE?" All Cyborg got in reply was laughter.

**

"This is bad," Raven said. The other Titans nodded in agreement. Cyborg was pinned to the underside of an electromagnet and was infected by a virus apparently programmed to cause random systems to malfunction. And Cyborg had only made it a quarter of the way through the maze.

"Oh, I feel so helpless," Starfire lamented. She turned to Robin with a pleading look in her eyes. "Is there nothing we can do to assist our friend Cyborg?" Robin glanced at Raven, who had been trying to find a way into that dome since they had arrived. Raven lowered her head and shook it no. "I'm sorry, Star," Robin told her. "But there's nothing we can do."

"Can't we find the bomb and disarm it?" BB asked. "No," the empath said. "Why not?" Raven held up her hand and began counting off the reasons. "One, I can't locate it. Two, we have no idea what kind of bomb it is. Three, we don't know what sort of booby traps Control Freak left for us. And knowing you, you'd set them all off." BB frowned as steam poured from his ears. "And four," she said, "the only one of us skilled enough to disarm a bomb is trapped by an electromagnet right now." BB looked out over the arena and his ears drooped. "Sorry I asked," he said. Raven put her hand on his shoulder. "Don't count Cyborg out yet," she said. "He'll think of something." She didn't add, _I hope._

**

As Cyborg hung helplessly from the magnet, he decided to do something about the virus that was wreaking havoc with his internal systems. _'Bout the only thin not affected by that kirffing virus is my head!_' he complained. Then it hit him. _Maybe the virus can only infect purely computerized systems, and since my brain is only half robot, the virus can't touch it!_

He set his mind to work, using it's robotic half to write an antiviral program, and the he downloaded it into his still-human immune system. The white blood cells responded and attacked the corrupted data. With ruthless efficiency, all traces of the virus were destroyed.

_Now, about that magnet,_ he thought. He changed the polarity of his body to the same charge as the magnet's, and dropped to the ground. "Booyah!" he said. "WHAT?!" Control Freak shouted. Cyborg ran through the rest of the maze, and when he came to a dead end, he brought his cannon out again. "No door huh?" he asked as he charged the cannon. "Then I'll just have to make one!"

BOOM! The wall crumbled as three thousand decibels of focused sound waves crashed into it. "Now that's more like it!" Cy said, running through the hole he made.

**

"No way!" Beast Boy said, in awe of what Cyborg had managed to do. "How did he-I mean, he was-" He felt a slender hand give his shoulder a gentle squeeze. "I'm sure he'll tell us after we put Control Freak back in jail," the empath said. "Raven's right BB," Robin said. "Besides, who cares how he did it? WAY TO GO CYBORG!" Starfire was literally jumping in excitement while Robin pumped his fists in the air.

Raven looked at BB, who was just standing there. "Are you okay?" she asked. "Yeah, why?" Raven blushed slightly and said, "Well, normally I'm the one who stands off in the background. How come you're not going hysterical like the others?" BB looked down at the arena. "I don't know," he said. "I guess I'm just nervous as to what Control Freak's going to do to me."

He looked into the empath's amethyst eyes. "I mean, if he could infect Cyborg with a virus, he could do anything, even take away my morphing ability." He lowered his head, partly in fear, but partly out of shame. "I can't fight without my powers." Raven felt a pang of empathy for the changeling. She grabbed his shoulders and said, "Beast Boy, look at me." The changeling complied. "I'm also afraid of what my challenge is going to be, but I know we will both get through this, got it Beast Boy?" He nodded his head. "Thanks Raven," he said, and the two of them turned their attention back to the arena.

**

BOOM! Another wall crumbled under the force of Cyborg's sonic cannon. The tin man stepped through and exited the maze. His foot tapped against something, and he looked down. "Well, hello there!" He picked up his left hand and re-attached it to his arm. "YOU MAY HAVE SURVIVED THE LABYRINTH AND THE VIRUS TIN MAN," Control Freak shouted, "BUT THERE IS NO WAY YOU CAN DEFEAT THE CREATURE FROM JONES' LAKE!!!" Cyborg looked up at where the voice was coming from. "Bring it on, tough guy!" "If you insist," he said, and hit the button.

RRAWR Cy turned around and paled. The creature was standing right behind him, and was at least twice his size. Gulp "Hey, there, swamp thing," he said meekly. "How you doing?" RRAAWWRR The creature swung its massive arm forward and knocked Cyborg flat on his back. Cyborg jumped up and rolled just as a blob of swamp goo the size of his head sailed over where his chest used to be. "Aww, man!" he said, as some of the goo splattered over him. "Now I'm gonna smell like swamp gas for weeks!"

He fired his cannon at the monster, but it seemed to be unfazed by it. "HA-HA-HA!" Control Freak gloated. "The Creature from Jones' Lake is DEAF! Sound doesn't work on it!" Cyborg kicked himself. _BB's never going to let me live this one down,_ he thought. He looked around, but all he could see was a dimly lit arena and the maze behind him. _Wait!_ _Maybe he's light sensitive!_ To make sure, he activated his shoulder light and aimed it at the monster's eyes.

SCREEECH "Booyah!" he said. He quickly re-tooled his sonic cannon to fire intense light beams instead of sound waves. By tapping into his flashlight circuits, then sending the current through his sound amplifier, the light was intensified a hundredfold. "Say goodnight!" he said, and fired. The beam of light entered the monster's eyes and overloaded its primitive nervous system. Its retinas were burned and its brain shutdown. The creature dropped to the ground with a thud.

"BOOYAH!" Cyborg said. He dashed over to the shutdown button and slammed it. The holodome retracted and the blue light lit up. Cyborg was then teleported to the other Titans. "Alright Cyborg!" Robin said, slapping his friend's back. "Glorious!" Star said. "We are all impressed by your opening the cans of butt whoop!" "Way to go, Tin Man!" BB said. "What he said," Raven added. "Thanks ya'll" he replied. "So, who's next?" "We do not know?" Star said. A second later, she vanished. "STARFIRE!"

**

The holodome reset and Starfire appeared within it. "Ladies and Gentleman, I am proud to present the super strong, super powerful, and super hot princess of Tamaran, STARFIRE!" blared the loudspeaker. "For her challenge, Starfire must battle hundreds of Cylon Centurions and then defeat the Offworld Outlaw, all without the use off her starbolts and eye beams!" Control Freak pushed a button and Star's hands were cuffed, and a reflective visor fixed itself over her eyes. "EEP!" she cried. "Let the battle BEGIN!" The Cylons raced towards the disabled Tamaranian girl, weapons drawn. "Please, I do not wish to harm you" BLAM! "EEP!" She flew as high as she could. "Oh, what should I do?" she asked. "Yeah, Starfire," Control Freak mocked. "What are you gonna do? Run home crying to mommy? HA-HA!"

**

Robin slammed his fists into the railing. "I swear Control Freak, I'm gonna-" "Chill, dude," Cyborg said. "How can you expect me to chill when Starfire is going to get killed out there?" Cyborg had to admit, there wasn't much Star could really do. She was able to deflect some of the blaster bolts with her cuffs, and pile-drive a few of the Cylons into the ground, but without her starbolts, Star was in trouble.

Then, Beast Boy started to laugh. Robin glared at him and demanded, "What's so funny?" "Control Freak really blew it this time!" he said. "What do you mean?" Raven asked him gently. "Well, Cylons are the robotic bad guys from the TV show _Battlestar Pegasus._ Anyway, according to the show, the Cylons are made of pure metallic chromium because it can deflect most Colonial blasters. The Offworld Outlaw's revolvers are also metallic chromium alloys too."

Cy and Robin scratched their heads. "Metallic chromium?" Cy asked. "Isn't Star allergic to metallic chromium?" Robin added. Raven nodded. "Violently allergic, if I recall." BB started to crack up again. "Even if she can't use her starbolts, all of that chromium's going to build up in her nose and then, goodnight Cylons!" The Titans watched the ticking time bomb that was Starfire and saw that her nose had started to twitch. "In fact," said BB, "I think it'll kick in about, 3…2…1…" "ACHOOO!" BOOOOOM!

**

The sneeze unleashed a blast three times as powerful as an atomic bomb. The entire holodome was engulfed in a wave of bright green light. When the blast dissipated, the arena floor was littered with the remains of hundreds of Cylons, a few still sparking. And in the middle, a lone Tamaranian stood, still cuffed. "Excuse me," she said meekly.

Control Freak's jaw dropped and he was speechless. "What?" he finally managed to say. "How did you?" Just then, a blaster bolt sailed past Star's head. "I don't know how you got rid of the Cylons, missy, but there's no way you'll beat the Offworld Outlaw!"

Star's nose twitched again. She realized that the Outlaw's pistols had metallic chromium, like the Cylons did. "Please, if you do not wish to end up like the Cylons, do not come any closer!" The Outlaw slowly advanced toward the Tamaranian Princess, waiting for the right moment to strike. The itching in Star's nose became more and more intense, she knew she was going to sneeze again soon. "This is your last warning!" she cried. The Outlaw continued his cautious advance. Star couldn't hold it in any longer.

"AH-AH-AH," she started. The Outlaw looked at her, puzzled. He took aim and was about to squeeze the trigger. He never got the chance. "CHOOO!" The Outlaw was vaporized as he was engulfed in a shockwave four times stronger than Hiroshima. Star flew over to her button and hit it. The holodome retracted again and Star's bindings vanished as the orange light lit up. She was teleported back to her friends.

Upon re-materializing, she pounced on Robin, wrapping him up in a huge bear hug. "Robin!" she said. "Star," he said, drawing her into a kiss. Cyborg waited for about two minutes, glancing at his wrist. Then he said, "AHEM!" Star broke the kiss and got up, blushing heavily.

BB turned to Raven and said, "So, it's either you or me." She nodded. "Looks that way." BB freaked out. "I can't do it Raven, I just can't!" Raven pulled him close and locked her gaze into his emerald eyes. "You can do this, Garfield, I know you can." "Really?" he asked. Raven nodded. "Wait, did you just call me…" Before he could finish, he disappeared into thin air. Raven's eyes grew wide. "Garfield!"

Teen Titans Animated belongs to Glen Murakami, Sam Register, DC Comics, and Cartoon Network  
Teen Titans created by Marv Wolfman and George Pérez


	6. Part 5

Beast Boy found himself inside the holodome and was overwhelmed with a sense of dread. "Ladies and Gentleman, your next contestant, the verdant shape shifter who can become any animal in the world, both alive or extinct. A former Doom Patrol member and current Teen Titan, Beast Boy!" BB braced himself for what Control Freak had in mind for his challenge. He didn't have to wait long.

"For Beast Boy's challenge, all he will have to do is face one opponent, 7GORN7!" "Phew!" BB said. "That's it? I just have to kick this tin can's can?" Control Freak nodded. "Yup, it's that simple." "Sweet!" BB turned to face his opponent. "Dude, I'm so gonna kick your robotic butt!" the shape shifter said. The android said nothing. "Contestants ready?" "Bring it!" "FIGHT!"

7Gorn7 raised his blasters and fired. BB dodged the volley and began to morph into a velociraptor; his preferred high-speed combat morph. But, in the middle of his transformation, Control Freak hit his remote. "Not so fast, grass stain!" BB instantly reverted back to his human form. He tried to morph into anything he could think of, but he couldn't. "WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO TO ME?" he demanded. "I took away your morphing abilities," Control Freak calmly replied. "What kind of challenge would this be if you had your powers?" BB fell to his knees; tears streaming down his face. "I can't do it," he cried. "Not without my powers." He was too busy crying that he didn't see the android raise his arms over his head.

**

"GARFIELD!" Raven cried. But, the changeling couldn't hear her. She covered her eyes as the android smashed BB into the ground, and then hurled him across the arena. "Beast Boy," Cyborg said. He placed his hand on the window separating the Titans from the arena. Starfire cried and found shelter in Robin's arms. "If Beast Boy can't morph, he's going to get killed," Cyborg said. "He never was very good at hand to hand," Robin agreed. "I should have made him spar more with me, if I did, maybe he'd be able to fight back." Starfire looked Robin in the eyes. "No, you could not have known that Beast Boy would need to fight the hand to hand." "Star's right," Cy said. "How were we supposed to know that BB would loose his powers?"

Raven raised her hood over her head and felt tears welling up in her eyes. As she watched the fight, she knew the others were right. 7Gorn7 was tossing the helpless changeling all around the arena, and there was nothing she could do to help him. She began to feel Rage boiling up inside her, but knowing she couldn't do anything without hurting her friends, especially BB, she released her pain through another outlet, her eyes. She fell to her knees and cried.

**

BOOM! The impact of the concussion missile hurled Beast Boy across the arena. "OOF!" he cried, as he hit the confines of the holodome. He fell limply to the ground. He struggled to get back up on his feet, but felt a mechanical hand tighten around his neck and hoist him off the ground. He opened his eyes and saw the merciless android staring back at him. Due to his animal instincts, BB immediately recognized the android's stance and understood its intent. 7Gorn7 was going to kill him, and Beast Boy was to weak to stop it.

The android aimed its blaster at the changeling's head and charged. Beast Boy watched helplessly as he saw the red glow building from the muzzle of the blaster. He shut his eyes, not wanting to see his own death. Then, he heard a shriek from inside his own mind. "NOOOO!" He opened his eyes and found that the arena was bathed in an eerie blue light. The android seemed to be frozen in time, everything seemed to be frozen in time.

"Whoa," he said. "I've heard of your life flashing before your eyes, I've even heard that time slows down before you die, but this is ridiculous!" Then, he heard her voice in his mind. _Garfield! _ He looked around, confused. "Raven, is that you?" _Yes, Gar, it's me,_ the empath said. "How, I thought that the dome was soundproof?" Then, the world around him faded and Raven appeared before him.

_I'm not actually talking to you, tofu-for-brains,_ she told him, _I created a mind-link with you. _ BB's jaw dropped and his eyes grew wide. "So, you're in my head?" he exclaimed. She nodded. _And you are in mine. _ BB scratched his head. "Can you read my thoughts?" he asked, hoping she couldn't, otherwise, she might kill him then and there. _No_, she said, _I can only see what you want me to see._ "Oh," the shape shifter replied, breathing a sigh of relief.

_Gar, there isn't much time before my time stop spell wears off,_ the empath said. She grabbed BB's hands and looked directly into his eyes. _You have to fight him, Garfield, you have to! _"I can't," he said, averting his eyes from Raven's harsh, loving glare. "I don't have my powers, I'm just too weak as a human." _No you're not! _Raven said. She turned his head and locked eyes with him. _Listen to me, please!_ she begged. BB relented, and let her continue.

_Remember after your fight with Adonis, after Cyborg cured you? _ BB nodded. "It's a day I'll never forget, Raven." _Remember what you told me?_ she asked. _You told me that the beast you turned into came from you, the chemicals only let it out, but that it was still inside you?_ The changeling nodded. "You told me that 'having that thing inside you doesn't make you an animal, knowing when to let it out is what makes you a man.'" Raven smiled. _So you can listen to me,_ she said. BB blushed and laughed nervously.

_My point, Gar, is this; now is the time to let it out. _ "But I can't!" _Yes, you can! _ Raven countered. _You may not be able to take on the beast's form, but you can let its instincts guide you. You can let its strength flow through you. _ "How?" Beast Boy asked. _Surrender to it,_ she said. _That beast lives within you, so Control Freak can't take it away from you._ BB wrapped the empath in a warm embrace, one she willingly returned. He let her sweet lavender scent fill his nose, and felt the cool silk of her hair play across the side his face. "Thanks, Rae," he said. _You're welcome, Gar,_ she said. They pulled away, and Raven shut down the link.

BB returned to the arena, Raven's time stop still in effect. Reaching deep within himself, he summoned the beast. He let it surface and he felt its power coursing through him. His senses were heightened and his muscles twitched. Surrendering to the beast, the changeling retained just enough control in order to guide it, and so he wouldn't become lost within the beast. He saw color slowly return to the world and knew the time-stop was fading. Summoning all of the strength the beast had to offer, he wrenched the android's hand free of his neck and dropped to the ground. Time then resumed and he saw a brilliant flash of light as the android's blaster fired.

**

The Titans saw the crimson flash of light and felt their stomachs churn. "BEAST BOY!" they cried. Starfire buried her head into Robin's chest and wept uncontrollably. Cyborg punched the window as hard as he could, then he collapsed. "No," was all he could say. Robin couldn't bring himself to speak, because he knew if he did, he'd loose control. He needed to be strong for Starfire, so all he did was hold her trembling body tight against his.

The only Titan who wasn't in mourning was Raven. She scanned the arena floor, desperately trying to find the green shape shifter. Then, she saw him, latched onto the android's back, waiting to strike. "Um, guys," she said. The others looked and saw she was pointing at the android. "No way! The little grass stain made it?" Cy asked. "Friend Beast Boy is alive?" Star asked. Robin finally was able to speak. "But, how?" Raven smiled, her gaze not leaving BB for a second. "The beast."

**

Beast Boy was hidden from 7Gorn7's sensors, and once he was sure the android couldn't detect him, he ripped open the android's back, exposing circuits and sensitive electronics. Not knowing or caring which wire would disable the android, he buried his arms up to his shoulders in the robot's innards, and grabbed hold of a bundle of wires and circuits. Then, calling on the beast's strength, he ripped his arm out, taking most of 7Gorn7's internal systems with them. The android shut down and collapsed. Beast Boy climbed on top of the wreck and defiantly roared at the control room.

**

"BOOYAH!" Cyborg shouted. The Titans watched in amazement and disbelief as Beast Boy pressed the button that lit up the green light. Except for Raven, that is. Instead, she felt proud of him because he had listened to her, and won. She also felt a strange feeling of butterflies in her stomach at the mere thought of the shape shifter, something she'd never felt before. Before she could think about it, BB appeared in their midst.

Raven watched as Cyborg and Robin punched his arms and as Starfire choked the life out of him in her usual Tamaranian bear hug. _Live it up, Gar,_ she thought. _You've earned it._ She began to turn away in order to get ready for her challenge when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She knew who it was, without even turning around. Placing her own hand on top of his, she turned and gazed into his shining emerald eyes. "Thanks, Raven," he said.

He pulled her close and held her tightly. She wrapped her arms around his neck and held him just as tight. "Thanks for believing in me," he whispered into her ear. They pulled back just enough so they could look in each other's eyes. "I guess I'm next," she said nervously. "I guess so," he agreed. "Look, uh, I wanted to tell you," BB stared to say. Raven looked expectantly into his eyes. "Tell me what?" BB couldn't bring himself to say what he wanted to, so he said, "I wanted to tell you, good luck." Raven looked down, disappointed, and said, "Thanks, Gar." Then, she was teleported to the arena.

**

"Ladies and Gentleman! Each of the previous contestants have proven their worth as Titans. Now, only one has yet to prove herself. And so, I now present to you, the most powerful of all the Titans, the half demon RAVEN!" Raven put her hood up and stood with her arms at her side, causing her cloak to wrap around her completely. Control Freak's voice again sounded from the loudspeaker. "The final challenge is a duel between Raven, and her most painful memory!" Two electrodes sprouted from the arena floor and attached to Raven's head. She could fell them pouring over her memories, searching for the worst one in order to throw it in her face. She knew who she was going to fight, and she wasn't looking forward to the re-match.

**

"Dude!" cried BB. "That's so not fair!" "Tell me about it!" Cyborg said. Robin looked down and said, "This is bad." "Why is it bad, Robin?" Star asked. "Think about it," Robin explained. " Who was the one villain we faced that had hurt Raven the most?" Each of them knew to whom Robin was referring. "Trigon," he finished. _What? _BB thought. He knew Trigon had hurt her, but he didn't think that he had hurt the empath as much as someone else did. That's because he had been the only Titan to see Raven after that battle, and see just how hurt she really was.

**

The electrodes withdrew and the hologrid charged up. "Well, Raven," Control Freak said. "Ready to face daddy dearest?" _So he also thinks it will be Trigon,_ Raven thought. But, she didn't say a word. Taking her silence as a yes, he hit the button. "FIGHT!"

Raven felt a presence behind her and twirled around to face her opponent. When she saw him, she knew she was right. "Hello, sweet Raven," the dragon said. Raven's eyes glowed white, and she raised her arms into a fighting stance. With malicious sarcasm dripping in her voice, she responded, "Hello, Malchior."

**

"MALCHIOR?" "I don't get it," Cyborg said. "Why him?" Before Robin could say 'I don't know,' Beast Boy surprised the other Titans by answering for him. "Isn't it obvious?" he asked. From the blank looks on their faces, he could tell it wasn't. "Look, Control Freak said that Raven would have to confront her most painful memory, right?" Robin nodded. "Yeah, but I thought Trigon hurt her more than anyone else." Star and Cy nodded their heads in agreement.

"Yes, she hated her father," BB admitted, "but she loved Malchior." Star and Cy were still confused, but slowly, Robin understood. "Please," Starfire asked, "if Raven loved the Malchior, then why would it be painful." Robin answered this time. "It's painful, Star, because he betrayed her." BB nodded.

"When Control Freak said she'd fight her most painful memory, I knew it'd be that dragon because I know how she feels. I know how much it hurts when the one you love rips your heart out." Everyone knew who he was talking about, Terra. "But, why would that be a challenge?" Cy asked. "Wouldn't she love the opportunity to beat his brains out?" BB shook his head. "I'm betting that some part of her still loves him, just like a small part of me still loved Terra after her betrayal. Because of that, it will tear her up inside to fight him." He looked out over the arena, eyes full of sorrow. _And since she's in the holodome, she'll feel like she's all alone._

**

"Azarath, Metrion, ZINTHOS!" A blast of dark energy in the form of a bird of prey, talons outstretched, roared toward the dragon. The dragon took off and dodged the blast, and breathed fire back at the empath. "You're going to need to do better than that, my sweet Raven," Malchior mocked. "I'm not your 'sweet' Raven!" she yelled, hurling another blast of energy at her former love.

Effortlessly, Malchior evaded the attack and again fire a stream of flame toward her. "Temper, temper, Raven," the dragon chided. "You wouldn't want to lose control now, wouldn't you?" Raven's grip over her mind loosened slightly and Rage struck. She powered her way in and assumed control of Raven's body and powers. Her eyes glowed red, and split in two. Her cloak changed color from blue to a deep, blood red.

"You're going to pay for what you did to me!" "I'm petrified," Malchior shot back. "RRAAGH!" Rage screamed. "AZARATH, METRION, ZINTHOS!" The entire arena was engulfed in dark energy as Rage tried to bring the entire stadium down, just to kill the treacherous monster. "ENECKRINAM, HEZBERECK, MORTIX!" the dragon shouted, causing Rage's powers to overload and backfire, knocking the crimson-cloaked girl to the ground.

Raven forcefully regained control, and her eyes and cloak returned to normal. She tried to stand up, but her nervous system was still recovering from the overload. She watched helplessly as Malchior towered over her. "My dear sweet Raven," he mocked. "Why even bother fighting me?" he asked. "Even if you do win, it won't change anything. You'll still be alone."

**

"You will always be alone, my dear, sweet Raven." Beast Boy watched how hurt Raven was and felt his own heart wrenched out as well. "Dude!" he cried. "He's hurting her! We gotta stop him!" Robin looked at the shape shifter and said, "We can't, Beast Boy. There's nothing we can do."

BB was outraged. _Who the hell does that bastard think he is!_ he thought. _He's ripping her heart out again, and I'm trapped here and I can't do anything about it! _ Then he remembered what Raven had done during his challenge. Maybe he could use their mind-link to reach her. _This probably won't work, but I have to try!_

The changeling took a deep breath and assumed a meditation pose. Cyborg noticed and asked, "Yo, BB! What are you doing?" Annoyed, BB answered, "I'm trying to reach her. Maybe she'll be able to read my mind if I focus on her hard enough." "Why?" the halfa asked. BB rolled his eyes. "So she'll know she's not alone." Cyborg shrugged and left BB to his own devices.

BB cleared his mind and focused on the broken hearted girl in the arena. _Raven?_ he asked. He didn't hear anything, but kept at it anyway. _Raven, it's me, Beast Boy. I don't know if you can hear me, but listen! You are not alone! I'm here for you Raven! Remember when you beat him last time. He said that you were alone, but you're not! As long as I'm here, you'll never be alone!_

**

"Garfield?" Raven asked. "Your precious Beast Boy isn't here Raven," Malchior hissed. "He abandoned you long ago because you were creepy." Raven stood up and glared at the dragon. "LIAR!" she screamed, hurling a wave of energy at him. "Sweet, beautiful Raven, you know it's the truth. He even called you creepy! Remember?" She fell to her knees. Of course she remembered that night, she'd never forget.

_Alright, fine. You're way creepy, but that doesn't mean you have to lock yourself in your room._

Determination surged through her. She stood back up and defiantly glared at the dragon. "You're right, Malchior," she said, extending her hand. "Beast Boy did call me creepy." She felt for something that was hidden behind a dead tree. "But, you forgot what he said next!" Malchior laughed. "Oh really, and what was that?" Raven pulled the book into her hand. "He said, 'You think you're alone Raven, but you're not.'"

Before the dragon could react, she hurled the book at him and chanted, "Algeron, Enlenthronel, Volsolarniris, NOR!" The book open and a vortex erupted from its pages. "NOOOO!" cried the dragon, but it was too late. He was sucked into the book, trapped for eternity. Raven dropped the book and hit the disarm button. The violet light lit up and the bomb deactivated. The rest of the Titans appeared around her and congratulated her, but she only saw one of them in particular. She lunged at him and hugged him fiercely. "Thank you, Gar," she said. "You're welcome, Rae."

***

"That. Was. AWESOME!" Control Freak said as he appeared right in front of the Titans. Robin looked at him, slightly puzzled. Control Freak continued his rave. "Titan's East was great and all, but your challenges were much tougher, and you guys smoked them! I mean, WOW!"

"You know, Titans East did say you were stupid," Robin said. "Uh, why?" Control Freak asked. Then he belatedly realized that all five Titans were glaring at him. "Well, only an idiot pops in right in front of five angry teenage superheroes," Robin said. "I'll take that," Cyborg said as he snatched the remote out of his hands.

The Titans walked back to their vehicles. "Wait, you can't just leave me here!" Then, Control Freak felt something cold wrap around his body. He was hurled against the wall and was pinned there. "Don't worry," Raven told him. "We'll let the cops know you're here." Robin hopped on the back of the R-Cycle and invited Star to join him. Giddy, she put on the spare helmet and held on tightly to him as he sped off into the sunrise. The other three piled into the T-Car. Cy was surprised when he saw the passenger seat empty, and saw both Raven and BB in the back. He was going to say something, but he saw how Raven laid her head on the grass stain's shoulder and held his tongue. "Let's go home."

***

When they arrived at the Tower, the Titans went to bed, seeing how they stayed up all night fighting. But Beast Boy couldn't sleep, so he headed into the Ops room. Once there, he saw Raven sitting on the couch reading as usual. "Couldn't sleep?" he asked. "My window faces east," she replied. "Hard to sleep when the sun pours in your eyes."

BB sat down next to her and she put down her book. "Look, Raven, I wanted to thank you for what you did back there." Raven giggled softly and placed her hand on his. "If anyone should be thanking anyone, it should be me." BB looked at her, confused. "What do you mean?" he asked. "When I was facing Malchior again, I believed him. I actually believed that I was alone and would always be alone." She felt tears well up in her eyes, but she held them back. She felt BB's arms wrap around her and hold her gently. "But at the moment when I felt the most alone, that's when I heard you."

"You-you heard me?" he asked. Raven couldn't fight her tears anymore. She felt them run down her cheeks, but she didn't care. This was Beast Boy after all. She looked into his eyes and said, "Yes, I heard you say that I wasn't alone, that you were there for me. For that, Garfield, I wanted to thank you." BB couldn't quite comprehend what she just said. "Did you just call me, Garfield?" Raven nodded shyly.

Then she asked, "Did you mean what you said?" BB stared blankly. "Mean what?" "When you said that as long as you were here, I would never be alone, did you really mean it?" "Of course I did, Raven," he said. "Why would you think otherwise?" "Well, when Mal-" BB cut her off. "Stop right there, Raven. I am not that bastard, got it." Raven nodded meekly.

Knowing she needed something to cuddle, he morphed back into a kitten and pawed at her leg. Mew She laughed and picked him up. Feeling tired, she stretched out on the couch and placed BB in front of her, and began stroking his head. He rubbed up next to her and curled up in the crook of her arm and fell asleep. She smiled at him, and fell asleep to the sound of his purring.

* * *

Episode III: _Quoth the Raven_: see profile for link

* * *

Teen Titans Animated belongs to Glen Murakami, Sam Register, DC Comics, and Cartoon Network  
Teen Titans created by Marv Wolfman and George Pérez


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